As technology allows us to advance in the field of computer-aided surgery, such systems are becoming more specialized and refined. The advances made for orthopedic surgery are particularly impressive. These systems allow surgeons to prepare for surgery by viewing 3D models of patients' anatomy that were reconstructed using pre-operative images such as scans and x-rays. Virtual planning markers can be inserted into three-dimensional images at any sites of interest and the ideal implant or prosthesis can be designed for a specific patient by constructing virtual implant models and simulating the results with the reconstructed model.
Furthermore, during surgery, many surgical instruments are now tracked and can be displayed on an image of the bone to provide surgeons with a reference as to where they are within a patient's body. This is a precious asset in surgeries that involve delicate procedures that allow the surgeon very little room to maneuver.
A particular procedure for which computer assisted surgery has made quite some headway is in knee surgery. There now exists systems which can indicate how to position the cutting guides in order to produce the desired cuts, and what the bones will look like after the prosthesis has been inserted.
However, it has been found that even with all of the advances in the field of computer assisted surgery for knee surgery, there are still issues with respect to the comfort of the implant for the patient and the duration of the implant in suitable condition to perform its designated function. The life-span of an implant or a prosthesis is dependent on the wear and tear to which it is submitted. In order to reduce the damage done to an implant over the years, the cuts on the bones on which the implants will be placed must be made to an infinitely small precision. Traditionally, this task is performed manually by the surgeon and is dependent on the surgeon's expertise.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to design a system which would automatically determine where the cuts on a bone were to be made and to a precision not afforded by even the most skilled surgeon.